- HIV detection test - see what it's all about
- Breastfeeding for HIV positive women
- Applying for a child with HIV
HIV infection can be passed from mother to child, and this is often the case. But if a woman has been tested for HIV and knows that she is carrying the virus, there is much she can do to reduce the risk.
A woman infected with HIV should be under the care of not only a gynecologist-obstetrician, but also a doctor who treats HIV-infected people. The use of antiretroviral drugs (which slow down the multiplication of HIV in the body of an infected person) during pregnancy and childbirth, as well as giving them to a newborn baby, significantly reduces the risk of transmitting an infection to the baby.
From 2010, every pregnant woman in Poland should have an HIV test performed
If, in addition, the delivery is performed by caesarean section, performed just before the beginning of the labor, the chances of having a he althy child increase to 99%. But this is only possible if the woman knows about her infection. That is why it is so important that we change our attitude towards HIV testing - thanks to them we can save our children's lives.
HIV detection test - see what it's all about
Breastfeeding for HIV positive women
Breastfeeding is not recommended for mothers infected with HIV, as it may pose a risk of transmission to the baby. And since the chances of his he alth are almost 100%, the baby must not be exposed in any additional way.
Applying for a child with HIV
If it happens that a man is infected in a relationship and a woman is not, attempts to conceive a child are associated with the risk of infection of the woman. Of course, it is possible to have unprotected intercourse during the fertile days, but doing so is a bit like playing Russian roulette.
There is, however, another solution - fertilization with properly prepared (purified from virus) sperm of the partner. This procedure has been used for several years also in Poland, thanks to it several children have already been born. More information on this subject can be obtained from the Institute of Mother and Child in Warsaw.
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